|
Chapter
XXIII
Yoga
and Onion - Shama Cured of Snake - Bite - Cholera
Ordinance Broken - Ordeal of Guru-Bhakti.
Preliminary
Really
this Jiva (human soul) transcends the three qualities,
viz. Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, but being deluded by Maya,
he forgets his nature which is
'Existence-knowledge-bliss', and thinks that he is the
doer and enjoyer and thus entangles himself in endless
miseries and does not know the way of deliverance. The
only way of deliverance is Loving Devotion towards the
Guru's feet. The great Player or Actor Lord Sai has
delighted His Bhaktas and transformed them into Himself
(His nature).
We regard
Sai Baba as an incarnation of God for reasons already
stated, but He always said that He was an obedient servant
of God. Though an incarnation He showed the people the
way, how to behave satisfactorily and carry out the duties
of their respective stations (Varnas) in this life. He
never emulated others in any way, nor asked others to have
something done for Him. For Him, Who saw the Lord in all
movable and immovable things of this world, humility was
the most proper thing. None He disregarded or
disrespected; for He saw Narayan (Lord) in all beings, He
never said, "I am God," but that He was a humble
servant and He always remembered Him and always uttered -
"Allah Malik" (God is the sole proprietor or
Owner).
We do not
know the various kinds of Saints, how they behave, what
they do and eat etc. We only know, that by God's grace
they manifest themselves in this world to liberate the
ignorant and bound souls. If there be any store of merits
on our account, we get a desire in listening to the
stories and Leelas of the Saints, otherwise not. Let us
now turn to the main stories of this Chapter.
Yoga
and Onion
Once
it so happened, that a sadhak of Yoga came to Shirdi with
Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on
Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali, but had no
practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind
and attain samadhi even for a short time. He thought that
if Sai Baba be pleased with him, He will show him the way
to attain samadhi for a long time. With this object in
view he came to Shirdi, and when he went to the Masjid he
saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a
thought arose in his mind - `How can this man, eating
stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties and help
me?' Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb -
"Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion,
should eat it and none else". Hearing this remark,
the yogi was wonder-struck and then he fell at Baba's Feet
with complete surrender. With pure and open mind, he asked
his difficulties and got their solution from Baba. Thus
being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba's Udi
and blessings.
Shama
Cured of Snake-Bite
Before
Hemadpant begins the story, he says about the Jiva that it
can be very well compared with a parrot, and that they
both are bound, the one in the body and the other in a
cage. Both think that their present bound state is good
for them. It is only when a Helper, i.e., Guru comes and
by God's grace opens their eyes and liberates them from
their bondage, that their eyes are opened to a greater and
larger life, compared to which their former limited life
is nothing.
In the
last Chapter, it was shown how Baba anticipated the
calamity, that was to befall on Mr. Mirikar and rescued
him from it. Now let the readers hear a story grander than
that. Once Shama was bitten by a poisonous snake. His
little finger of the hand was stung and the poison began
to spread into the body. The pain was also severe and
Shama thought that he would pass off soon. His friends
wanted to take him to the God Viroba, where such cases
were often sent, but Shama ran to the Masjid -- to His
Viroba (Sai Baba). When Baba saw him, He began to scold
and abuse. He got enraged and said - "Oh vile
Bhaturdya (Priest) do not climp up. Beware if you do
so" and then roared - "Go, Get away, Come
down." Seeing Baba thus red with wrath, Shama was
greatly puzzled and disappointed. He thought that the
Masjid was his home and Sai Baba his sole Refuge, but if
he was driven away like this, where should he go? He lost
all hope of life and kept silent. After a time Baba became
normal and calm when Shama went up and sat near. Then Baba
said to him - "Don't be afraid, don't care a jot, the
Merciful Fakir will save you, go and sit quiet at home,
don't go out, believe in Me and remain fearless and have
no anxeity". Then he was sent home. Immediately
afterwards, Baba sent Tatya Patil and Kakasaheb Dixit to
him with instructions to the effect, that he should eat
what he liked, should move in the home, but should never
lie down and sleep. Needless to say that these
instructions were acted upon and Shama got all-right in a
short time. The only thing to be remembered in this
connection is this - the words of Baba (or the five
syllabled Mantra, viz, `Go, Get away, Come down') were not
addressed to Shama- as it apparently looked - but they
were a direct order to the snake and its poison not to go
up and circulate through Shama's body. Like others
well-versed in Mantrashastra, He had not to use any
incantation, charged rice or water etc. His words only
were most efficacious in saving the life of Shama.
Any one,
hearing this story and other similar ones, will beget firm
faith in the Feet of Sai Baba, and the only way to cross
the ocean of Maya is to remember ever the Feet of Baba in
the heart.
Cholera
Epidemic
Once,
Cholera was raging virulently in Shirdi. The residents
were much frightened and they stopped all communication
with the outside people. The panchas of the village
assembled together and decided upon two ordinances as a
remedy to check and put down the Epidemic. They were (1)
No fuel-cart should be allowed to come in the village, and
(2) No goat should be killed there. If anybody disobeyed
these ordinances, they were to be fined by the
village-authorities and panchas. Baba knew that all this
was mere supersition, and therefore, He cared two pence
for the Cholera-ordinances. While the ordinances were in
force, a fuel-cart came there, and wanted to enter the
village. Everybody knew that there was dearth of fuel in
the village, still the people began to drive away the
fuel-cart. Baba came to know of this. He came to the spot
and asked the cartman to take the fuel-cart to the Masjid.
None dared to raise his voice against this action of Baba.
He wanted fuel for His Dhuni and so He purchased it. Like
an Agnihotri keeping his sacred fire alive throughout his
life, Baba kept His Dhuni ever burning all day and night;
and for this He always stocked fuel. Baba's home, i.e. the
Masjid was free and open to all. It had no lock and key;
and some poor people removed some wood from there for
their use. Baba did not grumble about this. Baba saw that
the whole universe was pervaded by the Almighty, and so He
never bore enmity or ill-will to anybody. Though perfectly
detached. He behaved like an ordinary house-holder to set
an example to the people.
Ordeal
of Guru-Bhakti
Let
us now see, how the second Cholera-ordinance fared with
Baba. While it was in force, somebody brought a goat to
the Masjid. It was weak, old and about to die. At this
time Fakir Pir Mohamad of Malegaon alias Bade Baba was
near. Sai Baba asked him to behead it with one stroke, and
offer it as an oblation. This Bade Baba was much respected
by Sai Baba. He always sat on the right hand of Sai Baba.
After the chilim (pipe) was first smoked by him, it was
then offered to Baba and others. After the dishes were
served, at the time of taking meals at noon, Baba
respectfully called Bade Baba and made him sit on His left
side, and then all partook of food. Baba paid him also
daily Rs.50/- out of the amount collected as Dakshina.
Baba accompanied him hundred paces whenever he was going
away. Such was his position with Baba. But when Baba asked
him to behead the goat, he flatly refused, saying
"Why it should be killed for nothing?" Then Baba
asked Shama to kill it. He went to Radha-Krishna-Mai and
brought a knife from her and placed it before Baba.
Knowing the purpose for which the knife was taken, she
recalled it. Then Shama went to bring another knife, but
stayed in the Wada, and did not return soon. Then came the
turn of Kakasaheb Dixit. He was 'good gold' no doubt, but
had to be tested. Baba asked him to get a knife and kill
the goat. He went to Sathe's Wada and returned with a
knife. He was ready to kill it at Baba's bidding. He was
born in a pure Brahmin family and never in his life knew
killing. Though quite averse to do any act of violence, he
made himself bold to kill the goat. All the people
wondered to see that Bade Baba, a Mahomedan was unwilling
to kill it while this pure Brahmin was making preparations
to do so. He tightened his dhotar and with a semicircular
motion raised his hand with the knife and looked at Baba
for the final signal. Baba said - "What are you
thinking of? Go on, strike". Then, when the hand was
just about to come down, Baba said - "Stop, how cruel
you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat?"
Kakasaheb obeyed and kept the knife down and said to baba
- "Your nectarlike word is law unto us, we do not
know any other ordinance. We remember You always, meditate
on Your Form and obey You day and night, we do not know or
consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not
want to reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt
compliance with Guru's orders, is our duty and
dharma".
Then Baba
said to Kakaseheb, that He would Himself do the offering
and killing business. It was settled that the goat should
be disposed of near a place called Takkya, where fakirs
used to sit. When the goat was being removed to that
place, it fell dead on the way.
Hemadpant
closes the Chapter with a classification of disciples. He
says that they are of three kinds : (1) First or best (2)
Second or middling and (3) Third or ordinary. The best
kind of disciples are those who guess what their Gurus
want and immediately carry it out and serve them without
waiting for an order from them. The average disciples are
those who carry out the orders of their Masters to a
letter, without any delay, and the third kind of disciples
are those, who go on postponing the carrying out of their
orders and making mistakes at every step.
The
disciples should have firm faith, backed up by
intelligence and if they and patience to these, their
spiritual goal will not be distant. Control of breath --
ingoing and outgoing, or Hath-Yoga or other difficult
practices are not at all necessary. When the disciples get
the above-mentioned qualities, they become ready for
further instructions and the Masters then appear and lead
them on, in their spiritual path to perfection.
In the
next Chapter we will deal with Baba's interesting wit and
humour.
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
|
